Boy rescued from sand dune upgraded to serious condition

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A 6-year-old boy who was buried under 11 feet of sand at the Indiana Dunes is doing better.

“Nathan Woessner has been upgraded from critical and is now in serious condition,” said Dr. Rachel Wolfson, a physician at Comer Children’s Hospital. “He has been extubated, is recovering from sedation and continues to respond to commands.”

Nathan of Sterling, Ill., has been at Comer Children’s Hospital since his rescue on Friday.

A post on the First Baptist Church of Galva website, where Nathan’s grandfather the Rev. Don Reul is the senior pastor, said Nathan was feeling well enough to watch television, sit up and speak.

Nathan was buried in the sand for several hours on the slopes of Mount Baldy, on the eastern edge of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.More than 30 people took part in the rescue effort after.